COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTIONIn the most worthy of pumpkin patches and during the silence of the midnight hour, the Greater Pumpkin raises up and pours a rich deep and burnished orange color. Heady aromas of bourbon, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and clove linger seductively over the thick white head of this tremendous brew. Its love at first sip as the full malt body, dominated by British crystal malt, brown sugar and pumpkin, slowly washes over your tongue. Bourbon barrel aging rounds out the flavors with notes of oak, vanilla, and bourbon. Pairs well with crisp autumn weather, crunchy fallen leaves, and the knowledge that your kids will be asleep soon so you can raid their Halloween candy bags.

The Heavy Seas (from Clipper City) already produces one of my favorite pumpkin beers, "The Great Pumpkin." They then take that awesome brew, age it in spent bourbon barrels, and call it "The Greatíer Pumpkin." Iíve heard about this one for a few years now, but never had the opportunity to pick one up. This year it was released in the CT market, and we made sure to get some!
The Greatíer Pumpkin pours a slightly hazy, burnt-orange, almost rusty color. Itís a little darker than I remember the Great Pumpkin being, but I doubt Iíd be able to tell them apart just by looking at them. The foam is pretty thick at first, but fades pretty quickly. Iím surprised at how much white foam there is at first, because this Greatíer Pumpkin checks in at 9% abv, making it one of the stronger pumpkin beers this year.
The nose is awesome; filled with all kinds of pumpkin pie spices, Iím getting cinnamon, nutmeg, and I canít help but think of ginger for some reason. Thereís a mild amount of pumpkin aromas too, but itís hidden behind a substantial amount of alcohol esters.
Wow, once I take a sip, I am impressed! This is gorgeously spicy, a bit malty sweet, a little pumpkiny, and quite boozy. Itís pretty much everything I like in a beer. Now, itís not nearly as heavy in the pumpkin as some others out there, but the spice is great, and I honestly love that little bit of a boozy nature. The alcohol isnít over-powering, but thereís enough of it that you definitely notice it. I think Iíd like to see a touch more pumpkin, but otherwise, I love this beer!
Well Iím getting down to the last few pumpkin beers to try this year, and the Heavy Seas "The Greatíer Pumpkin" has really set the bar high. I think tomorrow night might be the time for the Pumking, and weíll see if it holds itís own again this year.

Bottle. Iíve never been a huge fan of pumpkin beers, but if you gotta have one, this is it. Rich, thick. Spicy. Nice head. Big time clove and nutmeg spice piling on the gourd. Delicious on a cold fall evening. (#5301, 10/20/2013)

Poured from bomber. Perfect copper color with little head and nice fall spice aroma. Those fall spices stick around on the pallette, along with a pumpkin taste, oak flavor and nice strong hit of vanilla. Bourbon burn is a good touch. The only drawback is the high abv sweetness. A very, very nice barrel aged pumpkin.

22oz bottle. My first "oak barrel aged" beer. Poured a cloudy orange/amber with a white head of small bubbles that doesnít last long. Nose all over the place - malt ,spices, and pumpkin, not much in the way of hops. Smooth, silky mouthfeel. Taste of malt, pumpkin, spices...and OMG that oak barrel aging! FANTASTIC. At 9% AVB, get a designated driver. This is a GREAT specialty beer for a cold night after dinner. Another great Maryland beer!

Orange pour, good head. Pumpkin aroma. About a perfect blend of bourbon and pumpkin. I usually donít like bourbon aged and I usually hate pumpkin ales, bit I really liked this. Sweet, but balanced by the bourbon burn. Damned good.

Pours a nice copper color with a medium off white head. Aroma is a buttery, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, molasses, bourbonesque kinda thing. Taste is initially a lightly sweet, mildly spicy pumpkin. Those flavors lead to some malt flavors laced with the pumpkin pie spices and mild oaky bourbon. Finish is a spicy bitterness. Well made, not over the top, and definitely not cloying.

22 oz bomber. The pour is a hazy amber with a decent off white head and some spotty lace. The nose is distinctly pumpkin. There is some various note of spice, cinnamon and all spice and a the light vanilla from the bourbon barrel. The flavor has much more vanilla, and the spices take a back seat to that. There is a light pumpkin presence, but the barrel dominates the flavor. The mouth feel is velvety, almost creamy with a delightful lingering in the aftertaste.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

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